Cards on the Table
by snapslikethis
Summary: "If you must know, I heard a rumour that a pretty girl was going to be here." "Oh. And?" "The gossips were wrong, of course, as per usual." Flirty James & Lily. Hopelessly fluffy.


a/n I own nothing

I apologize in advance b/c this is the fluffiest thing that's ever entered my head

I will most likely post a gratuitous snogging sequel to counterbalance, though, so there's that.

* * *

He wasn't supposed to be here tonight.

At least, he hadn't told her he was coming.

She hadn't seen him come in, either, but none of that prevented her from instinctively knowing precisely _who_ had just come up behind her, was standing so close she could feel his breath on her shoulder, had just placed a hand on the small of her back.

_Since when did that happen?_

"You look good."

Lily heard the smile in his voice and matched it with one of her own. "Only good? I was rather hoping for better than that."

Did they normally flirt this much, or was the champagne heightening her awareness? Worse still, was the champagne responsible for her loose tongue? She was too damned distracted by his warmth and his smell and the electricity crackling where, _fucking hell_, his fingers were tracing lazy circles on her back.

"What are you doing here? You _never_ come to these things."

Here tone wasn't at all accusatory, James obliged her curiosity by leaning in, further than what was strictly necessary-not that she was complaining-and whispering conspiratorially, "If you _must_ know, I heard a rumour that a pretty girl was going to be here."

"Oh. And?"

"The gossips were wrong, of course, as per usual."

She scoffed, just as he knew she would, just as he _hoped _she would. He laughed, conceding, "Alright, then, more than good. I'll admit to three, perhaps four solid minutes of staring before I came up to you."

"That good?"

"Mmhmm."

James, facing her profile, noted her flaming cheek and mouth turned up at the corner, but she didn't turn to face him and she didn't say anything. He hoped he hadn't crossed a line. They flirted, yes, but never this outrageously. It was true, though-she was beautiful, gorgeous, really. He didn't want to take it back.

He didn't have to, turns out, because Lily surprised him with a confession of her own, perhaps as a reward for his own honesty. "You look good, too, you know."

It was his turn to scoff, "Evans, you haven't even turned to see me yet."

"Didn't have to, James. I've seen you in dress robes before."

"That was last year, though. I didn't realize you were paying attention then."

"Well, I was."

"Fair enough." He'd made his mind up about _something_, Lily could tell. Barely a moment passed and James reached across her with his free hand to relieve her of her goblet. As he set it on the table beside him, it was more statement then question that he spoke into her hair, "So, are you ready to dance?"

"With you? Absolutely."

They held each more closely than the moment called for; paid no mind to the stares, both blatant and overt, the tempo of the song they'd begun swaying to, or anything, really, but the immediacy of this long, long overdue moment. It was all tingling hands and stuttering heartbeats and warm breaths. Damn it to hell, was _this _what they had been missing?

James, who was going to burst if he didn't do _something_ to relieve the tension, but not quite trusting himself to speak, started to spin Lily in wide circles. She understood his intentions and played along. Soon they were performing a ridiculous, exaggerated waltz on the outskirts of the dance floor. They were poking fun at the other dancers as much as at themselves, which was all for the better; taking each other too seriously was more than either of them could handle.

When James spun her out and back again she exclaimed, albeit laughingly, "You're a madman!" When he dipped her, the room spun more than she liked-and for more than one reason. "No more dips, please, too much champagne, alright?"

"You, Evans? Drinking too much at a school function?"

She nodded solemnly, bringing their entwined hands upwards as she poked his chest. "Yes! Don't pretend to be outraged, love, I'm of age. Anyway, it's all your horrible influence."

"You're sure it's me who's corrupted you, not the other way around?"

His wore a well-practiced expression of utmost innocence, one she'd seen many times as he was trying to weasel out of various punishments. She _knew_ what he was doing, and damn if it wasn't working because her lip twitched, breaking into a grin despite her best efforts. "Alright. Your influence isn't _that_ terrible."

"Thank you. I finally get the credit I deserve. You are rather crazy about me, you know."

He'd said things like this before, teasingly, about her fancying him, and she could brush it away with a laugh and an eyeroll. She _had_ done just that on numerous occasions, but _this _was different.

They'd been coming towards this question-skirting around it, really-for months. And they both recognized this moment for what it was: cards on the table.

He'd done the brave thing by asking the question, it was the thing she hadn't summoned the courage to do. Now, wrapped in his arms, she felt no fear.

She cocked her head slightly, and with a smirk on her face, the one she'd _learned _from him, said. "Finally figured that out, did you? Yes, I do. Not too bright for top of our year."

"I'm brilliant, just a bit of an idiot sometimes. I did figure it out though, only took me three months."

She buried her head into his shoulder, shaking her head as she muffled into his robes, "Four. Four months."

"Four?"

"Yeah, that I was aware of, though it was probably longer than that. I've been an idiot, too."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She tilted her head back to look him in the eye again. "A million stupid reasons, all of them complete rubbish, I assure you."

His gaze didn't waver, he was expecting her to continue, so she pressed on, "We were mates. It wasn't my place. I thought you didn't fancy me anymore. I didn't want to be a prat and ruin everyth-"

"I wouldn't have minded, you know."

"But I didn't know that, love, and I can't undo it. Besides, we're _here _now."

"Yes. We are." He didn't bother editing the grin that split his face. "And now we know the truth."

"Do we?"

"Yes, of course. The _truth,_ Evans, is that you find me devastatingly gorgeous…"

"…tolerably handsome..."

"…brilliant…"

"…occasionally clever…"

"…charming…"

"…unfairly charismatic…"

"…mysterious…"

"…obnoxiously enigmatic…"

"…witty…"

"…alright, yes. You have a special talent for making me laugh."

James was satisfied with this until she added, as if she couldn't help herself-and really, she couldn't-"Even if your jokes are dead awful sometimes."

He pouted, "You always preface your compliments with a cutting adjective. Why? Must you wound me?"

She put a placating hand on his check, "Now James, if I start throwing compliments at you, you might die of shock. Your head would explode. You would be-"

"Flying without a broomstick? You're in my arms, love, I already am."

"You did _not _just say that. Ponce."

"I did just say that, and it's true, but I take it back. It _was_ awful."

"Thank you for proving my point for me, by the way."

"I aim to please, love. But you aren't going to be good for my ego at all."

"When have I ever? If it helps, I'm crazy about you, all the same."

"Immensely. Crazy about you, too, you know."

"I do now."

At this, they abandoned any pretence of dancing; what little space there had been between them vanished completely as her arms went around her neck and both hands settled her into a tight hug.

It was Lily who broke the silence and asked the question they'd both been contemplating. "Do you want to get out of here?"

"Can we leave already? We've only had one dance."

"Well, love, I can't be sure, but I think it's been seven or eight songs. I've no intention of dancing with anyone else. I think our spectators would be relieved if we left, actually. Mostly, James, I refuse to let our first proper snog be at one of Slughorn's stuffy parties."

"Snogging in a corridor is better?"

"Isn't it?"

"Let's go."


End file.
